


Via Negativa

by scullywolf



Series: TXF: Scenes in Between [174]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Dana Scully's year-long Pregnancy, Gen, Medical stuff, Missing Scene, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-25 01:29:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scullywolf/pseuds/scullywolf
Summary: An exploration of what might have caused Scully's hospital visit/stay.





	Via Negativa

The pain comes out of nowhere and almost knocks her off her feet.

She's only recently arrived home, late, after dinner with her mother. It’s on her way to the kitchen to grab a last glass of water before bed that the attack comes, and she catches herself on the back of the couch, groaning as worst-case scenarios parade through her mind. Acute abdominal pain during pregnancy is occasionally benign, but as a general rule, it tends to be a serious red flag. Pain of the intensity she’s feeling right now could be attributable to any number of causes, none of them good.

“Nopleasenopleaseno…” she says through gritted teeth, clutching her belly. The pain radiates up and back, blooming behind her sternum and through her kidneys, and nausea hits her like a freight train.

Something is very, very wrong.

She needs to call an ambulance, but she can't move. Can barely breathe. And of course, of _course_ she left the phone charging in the cradle in her bedroom instead of the one out here. Her cell phone’s in there, too, and the distance there feels nearly insurmountable. Her knees give out, and she crumples to the floor.

The bedroom. She has to get to the bedroom.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she shifts to hands and knees, her body on fire. Long minutes pass as she inches forward, shaking and sweating before she's even made it to the end of the couch. 

And then, almost as suddenly as it came on, the pain recedes. What was a searing discomfort becomes a dull ache, and she can breathe again. Slowly, hesitantly, she sits back on her heels, taking careful breaths and trying to calm her racing mind. Cool rationality is a life raft, and she grabs for it and holds on as best she can. Running through a differential diagnosis is easier now that she’s no longer in blinding agony, and she eventually comes to the conclusion that whatever just happened is probably not immediately life-threatening, albeit still serious. 

Cautiously, she gets to her feet, standing with her hand on the couch for a moment just in case. Then, with measured movements, she walks the rest of the way to the bedroom and changes out of her pajamas and back into her suit from earlier.

***

She sits in the ER waiting room for over an hour, mildly nauseated and sore, but absent any more serious symptoms. She considers going home; she could just as easily make an appointment to get checked out by her doctor in the morning, but the memory of the pain keeps her sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair. Dana Scully is no stranger to physical trauma -- she’s been _shot in the stomach_ , for God’s sake -- and what happened to her tonight ranks as one of the most painful things she has ever experienced. No, even though she feels more or less okay now, she needs to get it checked out sooner rather than later.

***

“Biliary colic,” the doctor confirms. “And from the look of this ultrasound, I think we may want to consider setting you up a surgical consult tonight.”

The relief she felt upon learning that her baby is safe and healthy is tempered by the knowledge that this pregnancy has apparently come with a massive side order of gallstones. Left untreated, she is likely to have further attacks of the same intensity, or worse; if the stones are unable to pass and become lodged in the cystic duct, she could end up with an inflamed or even infected gallbladder. Surgery would prevent further attacks, is minimally invasive, and is considered safe during pregnancy, but it means she will be out of commission for a few days at the very least. It is, however, likely the correct choice. She certainly does not want to endure another episode like the one tonight, if she can help it.

“Okay,” she says. “Thank you.”

The doctor leaves, and Scully yawns. It is after three in the morning; tests and scans to rule out more serious conditions took some time, and that was after the long initial wait. Whether or not they decide to go ahead with the surgery tonight, at least she should be able to get some rest soon.

Her phone chirps a low-battery warning in her pocket, and she pulls it out to see a missed call notification on the screen, timestamped about 15 minutes ago. She frowns, pressing the button to listen to the voicemail message and raising the phone to her ear. 

“Agent Scully. It’s Skinner. Call me when you get this.”

Of course. Of course there would be a 3AM work situation while she’s in the damned hospital. She shakes her head and presses the speed dial for Skinner’s cell phone.

“A.D. Skinner.”

“Sir? It’s Agent Scully. I just got your message.”

“Agent Scully, thanks for calling me back. I’m afraid we’ve got a situation in Pittsburgh. All 20 members of a religious cult are dead, along with the agent who was surveilling them. The circumstances surrounding their deaths are… well, they’re bizarre. I need you and Doggett to meet me in Pittsburgh so we can try and get a handle on this thing ASAP.”

“Sir, I--”

“I’m sorry, Scully, but I need to go. I’m on the other line with the Director. Just get up there as soon as you can.” 

He disconnects the call before she has a chance to say anything further. She drops the phone to her lap and considers her options. If she leaves the hospital now to go to Pittsburgh, she runs the risk of having another attack in the field. She’ll be worse than useless if that happens; if it happens in the middle of a pursuit, she will be a downright danger to Doggett and the other agents on the team. No, Doggett will have to handle this one on his own, at least at the start. Once she’s spoken with the surgeon, if he or she puts her at a low risk of another imminent attack, she can join Doggett and Skinner in Pittsburgh later.

With a final beep, her phone powers off as the battery dies completely. Sighing, she puts it back in her pocket and gets up, going to the door and nearly bumping into a nurse as she opens it.

“Oh! Excuse me. I was just coming in to take another blood draw. Is everything okay, Miss Scully?”

“Yes, thank you. But I need to make a quick call if that’s all right. Could you tell me where I can find a pay phone?”

**Author's Note:**

> Unlike our beloved Agent Scully, I am not a medical doctor. ;) Apologies for any inaccuracies. This was my best attempt to explain why she could have been in the hospital with severe abdominal pain but more or less okay by the end of the episode, and thereafter (i.e. not a pregnancy-related thing that would have required months of bed rest, etc.). Gotta love those vague, never-really-explained situations we get so often on this show. ;)


End file.
